Ride your bike around Sonoma Raceway

Fundraiser for Helen Putnam Regional Park, Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation|

Sonoma Raceway will host “Bike the Track,” from 5 to 8 p.m., Thursday, July 14, a rare opportunity for local cyclists to ride their bicycles on the racetrack.

Admission for adults and teens 13 and older is $25 in advance, $30 at the gate. Children 12 and under are $10 in advance or at the gate. The event supports Sonoma County’s effort to become the healthiest county in the state, with proceeds benefitting a one-to-one challenge grant for Helen Putnam Regional Park. The Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation also is a beneficiary of the event.

“We love the parks, we love Sonoma Valley Hospital, and we love bikes,” explained Steve Page, president and general manager of Sonoma Raceway. “This event seemed like a fun and innovative way to bring all of those features together.”

Bike the Track will open at 5 p.m. with a Bicycle Rodeo, Bike Clinic and live music by the popular local band, Power Glide.

These activities, as well as food and beverage sales, will continue when the bicycles take to the track at 6 p.m.

Ambitious riders can choose the 2.3-mile racetrack loop, while those who prefer an easier option can bike the flat drag strip.

Additional details and advance tickets are available at bikethetrack.brownpapertickets.com.

Participants should bring their own bicycles, and helmets are mandatory.

Bike locks and water also are recommended. The event will be held at Sonoma Raceway, 29355 Arnold Drive in Sonoma, and is sponsored by Sonoma Raceway, Wine Country Cyclery and the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition.

Funds raised from the event will help match a challenge grant established by an anonymous donor to benefit Helen Putnam Regional Park. These donations will help Regional Parks make improvements at Putnam Park such as trail enhancements, riparian restoration, removal of invasive plants and poison oak, and the addition of interpretative and directional signs.

The Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation raises funds, fosters partnerships and advocates on behalf of Sonoma County Regional Parks.

The Parks Foundation helps raise funds for county parks projects, including trail improvements to be enjoyed by the local bicycling community.

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